For thousands of years, Indian women have created these elaborate geometric designs using a variety of natural materials—flowers, spices, sand, and natural pigment—to mark auspicious occasions, celebrations, and milestones.

Live Deep-Sea Exploration with the E/V Nautilus: Shipwreck Discoveries(Webcast)

Running Time:00:23:58

The Nautilus has discovered several well-preserved shipwrecks on their mission, from ancient Greek trading vessels to modern sailboats. Join us as we talk with chief scientist Katy Croff Bell live aboard the Nautilus and see the latest video of their discoveries.

Join Exploratorium educator Ken Finn as he unlocks the mystery behind the black sand (a.k.a. magnetite) at Ocean Beach. This piece explores the origin of magnetite in the Sierra Nevada mountains, its journey down the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers to the Bay, and the interesting physical properties of this mineral, plus some fun things you can do with it.

This After Dark event, which explored the science behind slowing down, included artist Joe Mangrum, who created a sand mandala on the floor of the museum. In this timelapse video, shot over 8 hours, you can see the full arc of the work.

Slow motion footage of Pyrograph, a work by Earl "Dodger" Stirling that has been described as a cross between Dante's Inferno and the Foucault Pendulum. Like a fiery version of the Exploratorium's classic Drawing Board exhibit, Pyrograph swings a pendulum across a sandy, flaming cauldron and traces out oscillating patterns in colorful fire.

Aeolian Landscape is an exhibit in which a miniature wind-swept desert landscape is recreated by an electric fan and finely ground sand that mimics the process of wind picking up and depositing small particles. Visitors can change the direction of the fan, influencing the shape of the dunes.

The two Mars Rovers are alive and well after surviving their second Martian winter. Come and see photos of discoveries they made during their third year on Mars, with Exploratorium Senior Scientist Paul Doherty.

Webcasts made possible through
the generosity of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Jim Clark
Endowment for Internet Education, the McBean Family Foundation,.and the Corporation for Educational Networks Initiatives in California (CENIC).